Meet Hannu Pukkila, Bob the Robot's Official Office Grandfather

Hannu Pukkila, 76, has been working for over 12 years as Bob the Robot’s official office grandfather. 

It was back in 2005 when Bob the Robot started looking for an office grandfather. Pukkila was enjoying his first day of retirement and saw the announcement in the newspaper. “I didn’t know anything about the marketing business. I just wrote an application and after one month Bob the Robot’s people contacted me and asked if I really exist as apparently my application was so funny," Pukkila tells. 

Since then Pukkila has been working at the office about once a week. The Office grandfather’s main task is simple: he needs to be present and talk with people. Sometimes Pukkila bakes his famous rhubarb pie, sometimes he interviews people for Bob the Robot’s blog. Pukkila also organises an event once a month where people from different fields are invited to talk about interesting topics. The topics can vary from 3D printing to alcoholism.

Pukkila says that one of the best things in the industry is the creativity and the impulsiveness. He also feels that young people keep him on track around what is going on in the world. “I heard once a doctor saying that straight-laced people won’t live to be over a hundred-years-old. That is something to keep in mind.”

It is always interesting to know if older people have any advice for younger generations. When asked, Pukkila also has something to say. “There are two things that won’t run out no matter how much it is spread: love and knowledge. But that doesn’t mean you can love everyone in this world or that you have to share everything you know."